Ilham Aliyev at Azerbaijan-Germany business forum in Berlin - PHOTOS

The Azerbaijan-Germany Economic Forum kicked off in Berlin on June 7. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the forum.

Addressing the event, Sigmar Gabriel, Vice-Chancellor of Germany and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, expressed his satisfaction with the holding of the forum.

The vice-chancellor said he has no doubt that the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe will be held successfully in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

Noting Azerbaijan’s high achievements, the German minister said that Azerbaijan has for several years ranked the first in the world in term of economic development.

He added that a number of German companies are successfully operating in Azerbaijan.

S. Gabriel expressed concern over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict –-the biggest problem faced by Azerbaijan, pointing out optimism that emerged after the recent Vienna meeting on the conflict.

He underlined strong ties between Germany and Azerbaijan and expressed confidence that this forum will give an impetus to the development of these ties.

In speech at the forum, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan and Germany are good partners.

The head of state noted the importance of security and stability for the development of Azerbaijan`s economy.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan plays an important role in the implementation of global energy projects. He recalled that the project that will ensure gas export to Europe began to be realized in 2012, noting that TAP, which is an important branch of the Southern Gas Corridor project, is being successfully carried out.

He noted that a powerful team of partners has been created for the implementation of the project, to which the EU too offers vast support. The president underlined that this project is important in terms of diversification of sources and will benefit all the partners involved.

Noting that Azerbaijan pays huge attention to development of the non-oil, the head of state emphasized that diversification of export potential, development of agriculture, information and communication technologies and transport sector are included in a number of priority issues.

Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be put into operation this year. The head of state added that Baku is building the largest sea port, which will turn our country into a logistics center in the future.

Recalling the first-ever European Games held in Azerbaijan last year, the president said this month the country will host the Formula 1 European Grand Prix this year and the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games next year.

He went on to say that that the year 2016 was declared "year of multiculturalism” in the Azerbaijan.

"We want to see more German companies in Azerbaijan,” Ilham Aliyev said.

The head of state said that in Azerbaijan there are important areas for cooperation and expressed his confidence that the forum will contribute to further strengthening of relations.

Then Manfred Grundke, executive director of the Knauf Group and board member of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, and Samir Akhundov, chairman of the Azerbaijani-German Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the development of economic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany.

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